His Rise and Fall
by idako tsukiru
Summary: The cast has graduated from Hogwart's. What have they been up to? Exactly what is happening? discontinued
1. East Meets West

I am not discontinuing this! Yay~! I have my inspiration back, and it's edited!  
  
In the streets of London  
  
"So, Harry. You think we'll get a job by end of summer?" Ron asked his best friend, Harry. The two were in town, looking for possible part-time jobs or summer jobs since they had just graduated from Hogwarts.  
  
"I don't know for sure, Ron. It's kinda hard to look for Muggle jobs, let alone jobs in our world." Harry shrugged.  
  
"True. Why - OW!" Ron had bumped into someone shorter than him and the both toppled to the ground.  
  
"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to bump into you! Are you alright? I'm so sorry!" the person fussed, kneeling beside Ron.  
  
"I'm okay. Really - " Ron paused when he realized that the person was an Asian girl. A very pretty Asian girl.  
  
"I'm really sorry. Are you sure you're okay?" the girl asked again. Her pretty, big hazel eyes stared into Ron's.  
  
"Um - Yeah. I'm okay. And I should be sorry too, since I bumped into you too." Ron managed. He noticed a suitcase, which was on the floor due to the bump.  
  
"It's okay. I'm alright too." The girl smiled and picked up her suitcase. "Boy, I didn't know the Muggles here would be so darn nice." The girl mumbled a tad too loudly to herself.  
  
"Muggles?" Harry and Ron said at the same time, both with interested expressions on their faces. "Excuse me, miss. Are you magical folk?" Harry asked.  
  
"Oh no. Um.." The girl blushed, realizing what she just said.  
  
"It's okay. We're wizards too. We're fresh graduates from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Harry smiled.  
  
"Really? Phew! I really should learn to watch my mouth here." The girl laughed.  
  
"By the way I'm Ron. Ron Weasly." Ron extended his hand.  
  
"Nice to meet you, Ron. I'm Sakura Kanzaki. I'm from the Asian School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."  
  
"Ahem." Harry gave a knowing grin and elbowed Ron, who immediately shot him a "What?!" look. "And this is my friend, Harry." Ron said, trying hard not to blush and to ignore Harry's snigger.  
  
"Pleased to meet you, Sakura. I'm Harry Potter." Harry shook Sakura's hand.  
  
"Oh my God. You're Harry Potter? I didn't expect to meet you! It's a pleasure!" the girl smiled widely. Ron immediately felt a pang of jealously and spoke up.  
  
"So, Sakura. Are you lost here in London? Having trouble finding a hotel?"  
  
"Oh! Actually, yes, I'm kinda lost. Can you please help me find the way to this address?" Sakura showed the boys the back of an envelope. Harry and Ron raised their eyebrows when they saw the address. The person in the house Sakura was looking for was Cedric. Cedric Diggory.  
  
"Um.. Sakura.. You're looking for Cedric?" Ron asked.  
  
"Why, yes. He's from Hogwarts too, right? This was his last letter from him to me. He was in fourth year and he kept telling me how excited he was about the Triwizard Tournament. But, I reckon he became too busy in his last three years in Hogwarts. He was Hufflepuff seeker in the Quidditch team, right? We were pen pals for a long time." Sakura went off. She seemed to not know that Voldemort had killed Cedric in his fourth year.  
  
"Um.. So you're trying to look for Cedric in person?" Harry asked.  
  
"Yes! You do know where he lives, right?" Sakura asked, a gleam of hope in her eyes. The two boys looked at each other.  
  
"We think that you should come with us. There is something you need to know." Ron said.  
  
"Okay.."  
  
At a coffeehouse  
  
"What is it that I need to know about Cedric?" Sakura asked.  
  
"It's - It's just that he's not with us physically right now." Harry said, trying to break the news to Sakura without shocking her too much.  
  
"What do you mean by that?"  
  
"He's.. Voldemort killed him in his fourth year at Hogwarts after the Triwizard Tournament." Harry lowered his voice to a whisper. "What?! Cedric? Dead? This can't be! It's not true! He's not dead!" Sakura said in a mixture of feelings.  
  
"We know it's hard for you to take. But, we're truly sorry. Cedric may be dead, but he's alive in our hearts." Harry said.  
  
"That's true.." Sakura agreed. "But at least let me pay my respects to Cedric." Sakura continued after a moment.  
  
"Yes, we will. But today's not a good day. It's quite a distance from London. We'll have to do it tomorrow and find you accommodation first." Harry implied. (Ron has been silent all this while, stirring his cup of mocha.)  
  
"Okay. But where can I stay?" Sakura asked, looking for a hotel nearby on the map in her hand.  
  
"You could stay at Ron's house." Harry offered. Ron shot another look at Harry. Harry smirked. "Yeah, Ron's place is pretty cozy, and it'll make you feel at home. It's called The Burrow." Harry continued.  
  
"Really? It's so nice that you name your place! I'm sure it's cozy." Sakura exclaimed, almost knocking over the table they were sitting at "But, you really don't mind, Ron? I mean, don't you need to inform your family first?"  
  
"It's okay. Harry's staying over for summer too. We have plenty of space." Ron smiled and blushed.  
  
"Really? That would be great! Thanks, Ron! " Sakura exclaimed and gave a Ron a big smile.  
  
"You're welcome.." Ron quickly looked down and blushed, stirring his mocha faster.  
  
"Well, then I guess we'd better start going! Sakura will need to get used to The Burrow!" Harry said.  
  
The three left the coffeehouse and headed for The Burrow.  
  
To be continued.. 


	2. At the Burrow

Okay, thanks for the advice. There was an error in my text during my first upload, so I deleted it to try fix it. Enjoy~!  
  
At The Burrow  
  
"Welcome to The Burrow." Ron announced as he opened the doors to his home.  
  
"Wow.. The place looks cozy.." Sakura said, looking around.  
  
"Ron! Harry! If that's you at the door, I expect you two to quickly change and come down here for dinner!" Mrs. Weasley shouted, emerging from the kitchen. "Oh. Who have we got here, boys?" she asked when she noticed Sakura.  
  
"Hi. I'm Sakura Kanzaki. Pleased to meet you." Sakura said, extending her hand.  
  
"Oh. Same here. I'm Ron's mother." Mrs. Weasley smiled and shook Sakura's hand. "Well, as you have heard me shouting away just now, dinner will be ready soon." Mrs. Weasley smiled kindly and headed back to the kitchen. "Oh, and Ron. Show Sakura her room, will you?"  
  
"R - Right." Ron said.  
  
"Which room is available now?" Harry wondered.  
  
"Well, let's see. There's mum's and dad's room; you can't disturb them," Ron ticked off his fingers.  
  
"And we're sharing your room; Mrs. Weasley can't let us share with a girl," Harry said.  
  
"Fred and George's room's a havoc; we'd be maniacs to let her stay with them," Ron ticked off a third finger.  
  
"And there's Ginny and Hermione. You'd reckon they'd want someone new to share their girl secrets with?" Harry asked.  
  
"No, even if they wanted to, there's no space left," Ron implied.  
  
"Um. I don't mean to eavesdrop, but if you don't have a room for me, I'll just go and find a hotel somewhere - " Sakura said when she was cut off by Ginny.  
  
"Who's sharing girl secrets, Harry?" Ginny approached the three, her blazing red long hair set in a loose ponytail.  
  
"You and Hermione, Ginny. Who knows what you two have been doing in the wake of the night, chattering away: cute boys?" Harry implied.  
  
"Well, Harry, if chattering about cute boys is a crime, then what about letting a stranger into your house easily?" Hermione approached the group. The two boys were dumbfounded by what Hermione had said. Hermione smirked at the two boys; Harry was fiddling with his glasses and Ron was shuffling his feet.  
  
"Well, well. Look who's new here." Two familiar voices came into the room.  
  
"Oh no." groaned Ron from under his breath. Everyone turned his or her attention to the Weasley twins.  
  
"Oh. And she's pretty." Fred nudged George, who grinned. "Ahem. I'm Fred, and he's George." Fred gestured. "Wonder what brings you here to The Burrow so readily." George pretended to think hard.  
  
"Quit it, you two." Ron said.  
  
"Ooh. Someone's protective." George smirked.  
  
"Shut up."  
  
"Ooh. 'Ickle Ronniekins ain't so grown up like he seems." George smirked yet again, nudging Fred who was trying to suppress his laugh.  
  
"I said shut up." Ron was starting to blush. He did not dare to look at anyone.  
  
"So, what's your name?" Fred asked.  
  
"Um. Sakura Kanzaki." Sakura said.  
  
"Ooh. A Japanese. That's cool!" Fred exclaimed.  
  
"Thanks." Sakura smiled.  
  
"What's it like there?" George asked in great interest.  
  
"Why not I'll tell you guys about Japan later? I need to find a room now." Sakura smiled.  
  
"If that's the case, take Percy's room! It's as good as new! And you can always do some redecorating." George exclaimed.  
  
"Of course! Percy's room! Why didn't we think of it? Come, we'll show you to your new room!" Harry said.  
  
"Uh. Okay!" Sakura followed Harry, struggling with her luggage.  
  
"You don't need to carry them up," Hermione smiled and said, "Wingardium Leviosa!" Sakura's luggage levitated and Hermione led them up the stairs after Harry and Ron.  
  
"Thanks." Sakura said, smiling.  
  
"No problem. We're all witches and wizards. I'm Hermione Granger. And she's Ginny." Hermione nodded. "So. What are you here in London for?" Hermione asked.  
  
"Erm. So who's this Percy?" Sakura asked, looking ahead at the stairs.  
  
"Our third brother. He's a real jerk. Thinks our family's a shame to him. Well, we're doing so much better without him." Ginny said.  
  
"I see. You don't mind me staying in his room?" Sakura asked.  
  
"Of course not! We'd gladly let you stay in there. Change the whole look of the room! We'll help." Ginny grinned.  
  
"Thanks!" Sakura smiled.  
  
"Well, here's your room!" Harry said, opening the door of Percy's abandoned bedroom. It revealed a nice study desk near the window, a comfy-looking four-poster bed and a wardrobe.  
  
"Wow, it looks as good as new!" Sakura said, looking around. "Oh, Hermione. You can just put my luggage here. Thanks." Hermione landed Sakura's luggage neatly on the floor.  
  
"Hm. The room looks too." Fred screwed up his face.  
  
"Percy-ish." George screwed his face up too.  
  
"Definitely needs redecorating!" Fred winked.  
  
"Oh, yes!" George winked back.  
  
With a flick of the twin's wands, the walls of the room melted into a horrible shade of pink. Sakura gave a small yelp of surprise and tripped on her luggage, falling for the second time. The twins broke into laughing fits.  
  
"Stop it you two, really!" Hermione scolded: she looked sick.  
  
"Do - *gasp* - do you like it?" Fred asked, still laughing.  
  
"We - We call it - " George struggled. The twins laughed again.  
  
"We call it the 'Melting Makeover'." George managed to say, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes.  
  
"It's disgusting! Change it back to normal!" Hermione demanded, still looking sick. The walls of the room were still melting.  
  
"'Melting Makeover'?" Sakura finally managed to say.  
  
"Okay, you guys have done it. Change it back to normal this instant! I mean it!" Ron said, his ears turning a mild shade of pink.  
  
Suddenly, Sakura started to laugh.  
  
"What the -?" Ron turned disbelievingly to Sakura, who was still on the floor.  
  
"'Melting Makeover'?" Sakura laughed again. "Cool! How do you guys do it?" Sakura got up and examined the walls.  
  
"You - You like it?" Fred grinned.  
  
"Yeah, I think it's cool! You guys run a joke shop, I suppose?" Sakura grinned back.  
  
"Well! What do you know! Yes, we do run a joke shop!" Fred exclaimed.  
  
"And it's going pretty well! Not to say we're bragging. But how did you know?" George asked.  
  
"Lucky guess? You two look like you were jokers in school." Sakura shrugged.  
  
"Well, resident jokers," George winked.  
  
"I see. Cool. Well, I have to change for dinner. I suppose your mom won't be happy if we're late?" Sakura gestured.  
  
"She even knows our mother!" George raised and eyebrow. The twins grinned at Sakura and changed the room back to normal. "We'll help you with a proper makeover." Fred offered as Harry and the rest piled out of the room.  
  
"No problem!" Sakura smiled as the door closed. She turned to her luggage and changed for dinner. 


	3. Discovery by the Twins

After don't know how long.. I'm back! With a vengeance! Muahahahah!!!!! *Cough, cough* *ahem* I meant, I'm back after the long wait. With chapter three of East Meets West! Yay! What's going to happen in this chapter? Well, I don't want to reveal too much and spoil your fun, now would I? So, read! And review! The fun has yet to come.  
  
Dinnertime at The Burrow  
  
"Mom, mom! Sakura actually thought that our 'Melting Makeover' was hilarious!" George told Mrs Weasley over dinner excitedly.  
  
"Uh-huh! And she made a lucky guess that we own a joke shop!" Fred nodded, with food stuffed in his mouth.  
  
"Don't talk with your mouths full, you two. And, yes, I'm glad you two have a fan from across the globe." Mrs Weasley smiled not so excitedly. "Well, so, Sakura, dear. Why are you here in Britain?" Mrs Weasley asked, turning to Sakura interestedly.  
  
"Well, um - Sorry, I don't feel so well right now. Must be jet-lagged. Excuse me." Sakura smiled and went off to her room.  
  
"Poor dear. I heard it's not a very nice feeling, jet-lagged." Mrs Weasley looked at Sakura in concern.  
  
"Really? Harry, you must know what basically causes jet-lagged in Muggles, right?" Mr Weasley asked Harry immediately.  
  
"Well, it's basically because of long flight hours and time differences. It'll take a while for Sakura to get used to the time difference here." Harry said.  
  
"How very interesting and peculiar. Honey, we must travel by plane one day." Mr Weasley turned to his wife.  
  
"No, dear. We can manage with Portkeys and Floo Powder very well." Mrs Weasley replied to her adventurous husband. The others laughed.  
  
The next morning, breakfast  
  
"Morning, guys," Hemione entered the kitchen. It was considerably early on that Monday morning and Mr and Mrs Weasley and the twins had already left the house.  
  
"Morning," the Ron, Ginny and Harry replied.  
  
"Say, have you seen Sakura around? Everyone's taken breakfast already except her," Ron asked, trying to sound casual.  
  
"Actually, no, I haven't," Hermione sat herself down at the table.  
  
"I thought she wanted to see Cedric." Ron said. Harry simply shrugged.  
  
"Anyway, Ron. What Sakura does is none of our business. Maybe she couldn't sleep and left for a breather? Or she might be looking for a hotel to stay in? She's independent and I'm pretty sure she can survive without you two's help." Hermione pointed out.  
  
"What is you problem, Hermione? Come on, we're just being concerned. We, unlike you, care for others." Ron said.  
  
"Well, I don't have a problem. And you're just being concered. You, unlike me, care for Sakura." Hermione replied.  
  
"What is it with you?" Ron's ears turned pink.  
  
"Ron, let's leave it as that, okay? Besides, we still have a job to look for." Harry said. Ron gave a little grumble and cooled off. "By the way, Hermione. Are you looking for a job or something?" Harry asked, trying to break the ice. He was pretty used to Ron and Hermione bickering incessantly.  
  
"I'm still not quite sure. My parents are encouraging me to become a teacher at Hogwart's. But, I'm not very certain it'll be very easy. I'll keep looking, though." Hermione replied.  
  
"You're not looking for a Muggle job?" Harry asked.  
  
"I don't need one. I can always help out at my parents' clinic. They pay me for that, especially in the summer." Hermione said. "Besides, why don't you two get a permanent job or something? It'll develop your skills for the future," Hermione suggested.  
  
"Well, Hermione, we're not getting our hopes up yet. We're taking things slow and easy." Ron said.  
  
"Fine, then. Suit yourselves. Oh, Harry, Ginny, how are the both of you coming along?" Hermione asked, interested in the two suddenly. Harry and Ginny had become an item just after Harry graduated. Ginny, having Hermione as her roommate for the summer, had told Hermione something the night before, and Hermione wanted Harry to say it outright.  
  
"Um - Well - " Ginny started, blushing and trying to find the right words.  
  
"We're okay." Harry said. He was blushing too, though.  
  
"Oh, come on. It's not as if you're gonna die saying it!" Ron said. He, too, had heard the news.  
  
"Alright! I told Ginny that I liked her and I asked her out today." Harry said in one breath, blushing furiously. Ginny was blushing too.  
  
"Oh, Harry, you're such a dweeb. You like Ginny, and you tell her, like three days after she told you." Hermione giggled.  
  
"Well, at least he didn't freak out. He's over Cho anyway. And Harry, I want you to treat Ginny well. You two go out and have fun, okay?" Ron grinned and pushed the two to the door. They had finished breakfast.  
  
"Don't be home late!" Hermione reminded playfully.  
  
"Take care!" Ron chuckled and closed the door. The couple was outside The Burrow. They looked at each other and immediately blushed.  
  
"Erm, shall we?" Harry gestured. Ginny nodded and they left.  
  
Ron and Hermione, however, were watching from the front window.  
  
"Sigh, they're so romantic and perfect together.." Hermione smiled.  
  
"I'd say so too," Ron smiled too. Hermione looked at Ron.  
  
"So, you like Sakura, huh?" she pressed.  
  
"No, I don't!" he cried protectively of himself.  
  
"You're so obvious! Come on, Ron! She's a pretty nice girl! Or, do you need my help? It worked for Ginny." Hermione grinned.  
  
"I - uh - No, I don't need your help!" Ron's ears were striking red and he was blushing.  
  
"Okay, so I'll get to know her better for you. Then, you won't ask her the wrong things! Oh, I should be a matchmaker!" Hermione grinned.  
  
"I wonder if you get money for poking your nose into other people's love lives. Only kidding! Thanks, anyway." Ron grinned.  
  
In the evening  
  
"Oh, Sakura! Where have you been the whole day?" Hermione greeted a tired Sakura.  
  
"Um.. Nowhere!" Sakura managed a smile.  
  
"No, come on, you can't be nowhere the whole day! You look tired! Looking for another place to stay? You should stay in The Burrow! Won't waste your money." Hermione said.  
  
"Uh, yeah, okay, thanks.. If you don't mind, I'll be in my room." Sakura smiled weakly at Hermione and went up to her room.  
  
"Hm, she must be hiding something from the rest of us. Every time we ask her why she's in Britain, she changes the subject. Hm.." Hermione wondered to herself.  
  
In Sakura's (Percy's) room  
  
"Phew! That was so close! Guess it'll be hard to keep it from them any longer!" Sakura plopped down on her bed. She looked around at the still unfamiliar room.  
  
"Guess I should start practicing on my Charms! Today's Astrology was hell! I should put in more effort!" Sakura sighed. She hugged the pillows even tighter. "But I'm so tired! Just a little nap won't hurt."  
  
Sakura suddenly snapped herself awake. She sat up on the bed and shook her head vigorously. She determinedly marched straight to her trunk and pulled out her Charms textbook and wand. It was a 13-inch Dragon Cedar wand. She flipped to the Levitation page and looked for something light. "Aha!" She tore a piece of paper from her notebook and sat at the study table. "Wingardium Leviosa!" She said and flicked her wand. Nothing. "Wingardium Levio - " There was a knock on the door. Sakura's heart stopped momentarily and she paused.  
  
"Who's there?" She asked, still seated at the study table.  
  
"It's Fred and George! Come to visit! Don't mind if we do! Oh! Door's not locked!" Fred said and immediately opened the door and the twins tumbled in. Sakura was dumbfounded and surprised. Then, she realized her textbook on the table and her wand in her hand.  
  
"Practicing spells? That's weird. Thought you graduated." George said and peered at the open textbook. Sakura scrambled to shut it close, but she was much too slow. She blushed the shade of a tomato and looked down at her shoelaces.  
  
"Levitation?" the twins gasped in utter shock. They looked at each other. Fred nodded. George strode to close the door.  
  
"Is there anything wrong?" Fred asked: his forehead creased with concern.  
  
"You can always tell us, you know. We may be the most mischievous ones, but we're ready to help," George added.  
  
"Well, yeah. There is whole big lot to why I'm practicing Levitation. But you guys can't tell anyone, okay? Please?" Sakura sighed. 


	4. Connections with Cho Chang

Another hideously long update! Sorry! Last we read, the twins discovered Sakura practicing Levitation. Why? What's her secret? Only the twins know. But no one's telling just yet. Keep reading, maybe we'll know sooner or later! ^_^  
  
Next morning  
  
"Bye mom! We're off!" George called out, his hand on the front door. Fred was just behind him, and so was Sakura.  
  
"Hold your horses, you two. And just where do you think you're going, bringing Sakura along?" Mrs Weasley asked skeptically, pointing her spatula at the twins. (She was making pancakes for breakfast. ^_^v)  
  
"She's coming with us to the shop," Fred retorted.  
  
"She is not. Hanging out with you two is what makes me worry," Mrs Weasley crossed her arms in front of her chest.  
  
"But – "the twins started to say something, when Sakura interrupted.  
  
"Please, don't worry, Mrs Weasley. I hope I'm not imposing much on your family, but since it's the summer holidays, I thought of having a holiday job at the twins' joke shop. Is that okay? I'm sorry for not informing you beforehand, I'll make sure they won't get into trouble," Sakura said, gesturing to the twins. The twins knew that was a lie. The joke shop was to be closed for the day.  
  
"If that's what you say.... Now, I don't want any fooling around, hear me? I want her back here by five thirty safe and sound," Mrs Weasley pointed her spatula at the twins' noses threateningly.  
  
"Yes, ma'am!" They saluted and marched Sakura off.  
  
Twin's joke shop, Diagon Alley  
  
"Whew, thanks for saving our heads, Sakura," George heaved, closing the door to the joke shop behind them and locking it from the inside.  
  
"No worries. Wow, this is such a cool shop," Sakura looked around the shop. "are you sure closing your shop is a good idea?" she turned to ask the twins.  
  
"That is not your utmost worry, dear Sakura," Fred winked, placing his arms around Sakura.  
  
"Yep. We, the Weasley twins have promised to help you, so help you we must." George grinned.  
  
Just then, there came a meek rap at the glass doors of the joke shop. The three glanced to see who could be visiting a closed shop. It was Cho Chang, standing there, peering into the faded glass of the door.  
  
"What does she want?" George wondered and opened the door.  
  
"I'm so sorry, but I thought I saw – Oh, God! Are you Sakura Kanzaki?" Cho completely pushed George aside and went straight up to Sakura.  
  
"Hi, Cho," George purposefully greeted as he closed the door.  
  
"I never dreamt that I would be able to meet you in person! It's been such a long time since Cedric and I heard from you! What rings you here to London? Why didn't you mail first or something? I could have arranged for you to stay at my place. I can't believe that I'm meeting you in the flesh. You've grown so much prettier!" Cho gushed.  
  
"Um, Cho Chang?" Sakura asked cautiously.  
  
"Oh, I'm so sorry! You probably don't remember me at all! Yes, I'm Cho Chang!" Cho grinned thrusting out her hand.  
  
"Well, I'm equally pleased to meet you too, Cho. It has been a long time." Sakura shook Cho's hand.  
  
"Ahem, explanation here? Confused twins under your noses." Fred gestured at the girls.  
  
"Oh, I'm such a doofus! Hi, Fred and George! How did you get to know Sakura?" Cho smiled her sweetest at the twins.  
  
"Hi, again. But we were looking for a clearer explanation," George said, with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.  
  
"Cho and I met in Cedric's many letters. You both know he and I were pen pals, right? Well, he of course introduced this lovely girl he got to know in Hogwarts to me. And we have exchanged a few lines in these letters," Sakura explained. The twins almost dropped dead when Sakura said Cho was a 'lovely girl'.  
  
"Yup! This is so wonderful! Oh, I haven't been writing to you! Do you know about Cedric – "Cho's face began to dim.  
  
"Yes, I know. I wondered why he stopped writing, and thought he was real busy in school. Furthermore, I didn't have to worry about him when he has such a sweet girlfriend. Little did I know....," Sakura shook her head.  
  
"I'm so sorry. It's all my fault. I should never have encouraged him to join the Triwizard Tournament." Cho said forlornly.  
  
"It's not your fault. It's been years since the tournament. He should want us to move on." Sakura said comfortingly to Cho and herself.  
  
"Yes, well, I must be off now. We'll catch up some other time, 'kay? You take care!" Cho brightened up. "Bye Fred and George!"  
  
"Right. Are you being nice to her out of pity?" George asked.  
  
"No! Why do you think that?" Sakura asked, shocked.  
  
"Oh, I don't know, she's real squealy." Fred offered.  
  
"Aw, come on, I don't think she's that bad," Sakura waved her hand at the twins.  
  
"Whatever. Now, we can start on our lesson proper. Wands please." George clapped his hands and the three began the lesson.  
  
Back at The Burrow  
  
"I wonder where Sakura has gone with the twins so early in the morning." Sakura paced in his room, where the others were there too.  
  
"She went to the joke shop with the twins to help out, thought you knew. Come on, Ron sit down," Harry said.  
  
"That's what worries me even more! With the twins! Don't know what trouble they're gonna get her into!" Ron threw his hands up in the air and paced faster.  
  
"Ugh, she's only helping Fred and George out at their joke shop! Nothing to worry about. What we need to worry about is you losing your sanity!" Hermione pulled Ron and sat him down beside her on his bed.  
  
"Yeah, Ron. Sakura seems pretty sensible a girl to me. The twins aren't that bad." Ginny stretched.  
  
"You people don't know, do you? The twins spell trouble. It's clear all over their foreheads! Their slimy grins!" Ron exclaimed.  
  
"No they don't. Stop talking rubbish about your own brothers. I know they love to play jokes, but they're good friends too." Hermione scolded.  
  
"Look, Ron. If you're so scared of losing her to your own brothers, why don't you admit it to her? That you like her, I mean." Harry stated.  
  
"No way!" Ron looked disbelievingly at Harry.  
  
"Um, I'm sorry to intrude on such a gathering, but is there anything wrong? If not, I'm going upstairs," Sakura poked her head at the door. Ron's eyes widened and he turned red. He immediately turned to face opposite Sakura.  
  
"Oh yeah, something's really wrong. He has a problem with you hanging out with the twins." Hermione nodded at Ron, who wished he could just disappear from the face of earth right then.  
  
"Oh dear. I'm sorry, Ron? Is there wrong with my working with the twins?" Sakura approached Ron.  
  
"No – nothing's wrong. They're making it up." Ron stumbled.  
  
"No really, you should tell me. If I'm intruding with the family, I will leave." Sakura offered, putting her hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Uh.... No.... No! You don't have to leave! Er..." Ron turned to face Sakura. He blushed redder.  
  
"Okay.... If there's anything wrong, you could always tell me, okay?" Sakura smiled and went up to her room.  
  
Ron sighed and sank down to his bed.  
  
"You so need to tell her," Hermione crossed her arms.  
  
"Never," Ron stated and chased Ginny and Hermione out of the room, blushing.  
  
"You have to get over yourself," Harry said grimly.  
  
"Shut up, Harry," Ron squashed himself under his pillows. 


	5. Ron Confesses

I apologize yet again for the long updates. But I warn you guys, I can't update very update because of my forced commitments to my studies. I have an international exam coming this end year (heard of the Ordinary Levels?) and I want to do well. So sorry people! In advance.   
  
Okay, enough side-stepping. Whoa, okay what lessons were Sakura and the twins having? And she knew Cho Chang??? Ron seems to have problems with himself. Hermione insists on solving them for him. It's a whirlwind, hang on tight, people!  
  
Next morning  
  
Sakura closed the door to her room silently and goes down to meet the twins when Hermione shocked her.  
  
"Hey! Sorry to scare you like that. Look, remember yesterday? Ron does have a problem with you working with the twins. It's not that he wants you to leave here or anything, he's just jealous that they have more time to get to know you than he does. In fact, we're all jealous of the twins," Hermione whispered.  
  
"Oh. Why didn't he tell me then? Or why didn't any of you tell me?" Sakura glanced at her watch urgently.  
  
"We're just afraid to offend you. Look, let's all meet tonight after dinner at Ron's room. Dress wisely, okay? It's.... Special." Hermione winked and went back to Ginny's room.  
  
"Right.... That's kind of weird. Oh, look at the time! Must get going! Don't want to be late for classes!" Sakura thought and flew down the stairs.  
  
"What took you so long?" Fred demanded, pretending to be all Percy-ish, tapping his foot.  
  
"Oh, don't listen to him. Did you have an intruder?" George pushed Fred away.  
  
"Hey! What'd you do that for?" Fred nudged George.  
  
"Oh, it was nothing. Just Hermione asking me to meet the gang after dinner tonight," Sakura waved casually.  
  
"Sounds suspicious enough to me. Anyway, let's get going now," George shrugged. They left The Burrow silently.  
  
That day, the three worked on astrology, one of Sakura's weakest subjects. But with the twins' help, she was coming alone fine.  
  
Back in The Burrow, later in the afternoon  
  
"Ron! Ron! Come one, get out of bed! Hurry!" Harry tugged at Ron's arm which was hanging at the edge of his bed. "You shouldn't be sleeping now! You should be up! Not only is it the afternoon, it's important!"  
  
"Mmmh.... What? What's so important? Quit nagging, Harry.... You sound like my mother.... Let me go...." Ron took his pillows and covered his ears.  
  
"Fine, if Sakura's gonna see you like this, I'll let her!" Harry crossed his arms.  
  
"WHAT?! Sakura? What do you mean?" Ron immediately sat straight up. His red hair was all messy and ruffled in all sorts.  
  
"I knew that would work. See, Hermione told Sakura to meet us all in here tonight after dinner. It's past noon already. You have to pick out something decent to wear!" Harry chuckled and plopped himself on his bed.  
  
"Why does Hermione have to do this to me?" Ron cried in despair. He buried his fingers in his hair.  
  
"Because your head is in a mess. Now, go get nicely dressed!" Harry threw open Ron's wardrobe and started picking out clothes. "Hm, too smart. No, too punk. Come on! Get here and start choosing!" Harry practically pulled Ron to the wardrobe.  
  
"Uh, okay.... Um, I'll just wear this and this," Ron pulled out a pair of his favorite blue-washed jeans and white knit crew neck shirt. He looked at Harry for confirmation.  
  
"Whatever suits you best, buddy," Harry patted Ron on the back.  
  
"Hermione just loves to mess with our lives, don't you think?" Ron started tidying up his bed. Harry shrugged, indicating that he surrender to whatever Hermione had in her pretty little head. A meek knock came on the boys' room door. "It's open," Ron called behind his back.  
  
"Ron! You're up! I suppose Harry has told you about tonight! Well, I'll tell you the scene: Sakura comes in this room, thinking that we will all be here. But actually, we're in Ginny's room. You, however, will be here. I guess you know what will happen next. No script needed," Hermione winked at Ron.  
  
Ron simply blushed and studied his shoelaces.  
  
"Well, aren't you going to thank me?" Hermione grinned deviously.  
  
"Alright, thanks!" Ron spat the words out like medicine. When he met Hermione's eyes, he smiled a little and blushed again. "Really, you could earn a lot of money just by being a busybody."  
  
"I'll take that as a compliment. Well, I'm off now! Everything will go perfectly!" Hermione strode to the door and closed it behind her.  
  
Twins' joke shop, Diagon Alley  
  
"See, I'm sure you'll love this one. Every time you nibble on it, it will do this!" Fred demonstrated and took a bite at the chocolate chip cookie. The cookie flew out of his hand, and the cookie slowly disappeared into thin air, as if an invisible someone was eating it. A loud, revolting burp followed the cookie's disappearance.  
  
"Neat! Then how do you get the cookie back?" Sakura asked in interest.  
  
"Well, all you have to do is to tap your wand at your lips," George tapped his wand at Fred's lips, and the cookie immediately reappeared. "Heheh, we call it the 'Disappearing Cookie'. What do you think?"  
  
"It's pure genius!" Sakura clapped her hands in admiration of the twins. The twins bowed. "Oh, look at the time! We have to get back to The Burrow!"  
  
After dinner, The Burrow  
  
Sakura checked herself in the mirror in her room. "Dress wisely." That was what Hermione told her. She didn't know what to wear, so she simply wore a pair of jeans and a light blue capped sleeve shirt. She shrugged and went to Ron's room. She took in a slow deep breath, and knocked the door. There was shuffling inside the room, and a few soft 'pops'. Sakura made no mistake of that sounds. Definitely suspicious. The door creaked open and Ron was seen at the door.  
  
"Um, hi! Er, come in!" Ron gulped and indicated for Sakura to come in. He held the door open for her and closed it after she stepped inside. "So, um, thanks for coming. I mean, Hermione would want me to say that. I mean, um, thanks," Ron felt like slapping himself.  
  
"Yeah, sure. Where's everyone? Or is it just the two of us?" Sakura looked around until she met Ron's eyes. She studied his face. Not that she ever saw his face before, but this was the first time she got to stare at it alone. She smiled at him.  
  
"Well, I've got something to tell you, Sakura. I.... I.... I.... Oh what am I doing," Ron pulled Sakura to him and whispered into her ear. 


	6. The Mystery of Sakura

My computer crashed (about three times when I was re-writing this fic)…. My chapter 6 disappeared into thin air…. So, if this re-written chapter isn't satisfactory, please pardon me…. TT Sorry for taking such a long time to write this, too.

What exactly did Ron tell Sakura? What's Sakura's big secret she's keeping from everyone but the twins? What does Cho Chang's presence mean? All I can say is: it's confusing enough at it is, so you gotta pay attention! Hee…. R&R, please!

Ginny's room

"Come, on Ron! Speak louder!" Harry pressed his ear to the wall. Harry together with Ginny and Hermione were all having their ears pressed to the wall dividing Ginny's room and Ron's room.

"It's no use! Ron's just too shy and dim-witted to admit to Sakura!" Hermione plopped herself on Ginny's bed. She shook her head disapprovingly, when she saw two people at the door. "Uh…. You two…." Hermione tugged Harry's shirt.

"Stop it Hermione, I'm trying to listen," Harry turned and paused.

"When will you people learn that in order to poke your noses into other people's business, you have to ask Fred and George Weasley first?" George crossed his arms and shook his head disapprovingly. Fred was making a 'tsk-tsk-tsk' sound while shaking his head.

"But, since you can't hear anything, we shall forgive and forget!" Fred grinned and winked.

"Because we present – "

"– The one and only – "

"Extendable Ears©: Version 3.2!" the twins said in unison, presenting a small case full of Extendable Ears.

"They're fashioned just like a Muggle's hearing aid!" Fred showed Harry, Hermione and Ginny. He sounded like a salesman on cable TV.

"So, you can eavesdrop anytime, anywhere! With clear sound, too!" George placed an Extendable Ear© on each Harry, Hermione and Ginny's right ears.

The three others just shrugged and listened to the next room. The twins followed suit: they already had their own Extendable Ears© on.

"Gee, you're right! I can even hear Ron's feet shuffling!" Harry whispered.

"Why thank you for the positive customer feedback! Always welcome!" George whispered back and winked.

The group listened for the next few minutes, but there was silence. Except for the occasional shuffles, they could hear nothing else.

"Come on you two! Say something! Anything!" Hermione hissed.

"Alright, how about bug off?" The party turned and saw Ron and Sakura standing together at the doorway, grinning ear to ear.

"What –? Huh?" Hermione looked from Ron and Sakura to the neighboring room.

"If you guys were wondering, I said 'yes' to Ron…." Sakura smiled sheepishly. She looked at Ron and held his arm. Ron cleared this throat.

"I suppose that doesn't require further questioning from you lot," Ron nodded to Sakura and they both headed for Sakura's room. "Oh, and don't eavesdrop, if you mind," Ron reminded the group. The rest of the gang was left in Ginny's room, not able to register the fresh piece of information into their minds as yet.

Sakura's room

"Hah! I wouldn't exchange a thousand Galleons for the looks on their faces just now!" Ron smirked as he sat on Sakura's bed, and Sakura closed the door behind her. Sakura pulled her study chair across Ron and sat, forcing a smile on her face.

"What's the matter?" Ron's face immediately creased with concern, and he placed his hand on Sakura's, which were on her laps.

She looked into Ron's eyes and searched them. He truly was concerned for her. Should she tell him? No, it would be too much of a risk. She would risk Ron's life. Maybe even Harry's and everyone else's. Sakura sighed.

"Ron…. It's nothing…. I'm just thinking of how to help you. And I'm really tired. Working with your brothers is really fun, but tiresome! I'm so sorry. I guess I'll have to turn in for the night. Good night, Ron," Sakura smiled and opened her door.

"Okay, well…. Good night and take care. And if you really have a problem, you should tell me, you know? I'm always here to help," Ron left.

Sakura threw herself on her bed. She lied to Ron. There was something she wanted to tell him. In fact, she wanted to tell the whole world. But she couldn't. She stared at the ceiling and fell into an uneasy sleep….

Ron and Harry's room

Harry, meanwhile, was asleep and was dreaming….

_He walked through a forest, thick and dark. A mist hung in the air, making seeing far difficult. He seemed to know where he was going. He walked briskly, surely. Before long, he reached a hut. He knocked twice, and the door creaked open. He stepped inside, and saw a hooded figure seated in front of a dimly lit fireplace._

"_You called, my Lord?" he heard a voice ask. Wait, it wasn't a voice. Those words came from his mouth! But it was a female's voice!_

_The figure gestured for him to come closer. "Tell me of your news, dear." That voice, Harry thought. It sounded familiar…. It was Voldemort's voice!_

"_Yes, my Lord. News that will enrage you. Lucius Malfoy is trying to flee us. And he's doing it tomorrow. With his family. A coward, he is. He'd rather save his own fortune than help you, Lord!" Harry said. The female voice said._

"_Then, my dear, it's time we gave the others a little wake up call…. We meet tomorrow, at his place," Voldemort said with a hiss._

"_Yes, my Lord. I take my leave now –" the girl was interrupted by Voldemort._

"_Wait…. Where are you off to? Such a rush. Hiding something from me? I can see right through you…." Voldemort rose from his seat and walked towards her. The floorboards creaked under his weight. Her heart was beating furiously._

"_Of course I'm not hiding anything from you my Lord. Why would I? I just don't want Potter and the others to suspect anything. It is very crucial that they fall into the trap I set," the girl said._

_Voldemort grinned and laughed softly. Harry felt a shiver go down his spine. The girl's spine. "Well, my dear. I know that. What I meant was don't you have any news for me of them?"_

"_Not as yet, my Lord. Things are going quite smoothly as I had anticipated," the girl smiled._

"_Good, good. Well, go now then. I'll see you tomorrow."_

Harry awoke from his sleep abruptly. He wasn't quite sure what the dream meant. But it reminded him of something. Back in his fifth year in Hogwarts. Such dreams are all too familiar to Harry. He immediately shook Ron up.

A few moments later

"So…. What you're saying is…. Voldemort's going to kill the Malfoys tomorrow night? With his assistant? A girl?" Ron asked, unsure of what he just heard from Harry. He knew that such dreams from Harry proved to be true, but how true was this one? It has been some time since Harry had such dreams.

"Yes, and it seems that his girl is after us too. I mean, she's after me. Probably so that she can send me to Voldemort and have him kill me," Harry sighed.

"Do you recognize this girl's voice? Is she someone we know?" Ron asked.

"I'm – I'm not sure myself Ron. For – For a moment, she sounded like…. No, no. I don't think – It can't be –," Harry shook his head, not wanting to believe what he was about to say.

"Who do you think it is, Harry?" Ron didn't like the tone of Harry's voice.

"I think," Harry licked his lips and he swallowed hard; his throat and lips suddenly felt very dry. "I think she's Sakura." He looked at Ron. He watched Ron's face change from curious to shock to disbelief. "I know, I know. I'm just saying that the girl's voice sounded like Sakura's. You know what, Ron? It could just be a silly dream." Harry shook his head and started to pull his cover over himself.

"Yeah…. Yeah, just a silly dream," Ron said after a while and he went to sleep himself.

The following morning, at the twins' joke shop

Fred yawned sleepily as he watched Sakura flit around the shop, dusting the items. "What you doing that for, darling? It's slow business today. It is, after all Monday today. Maybe we should close early, George," said Fred.

"I agree with you, Fred. Come, Sakura. Stop dusting! What's with you today, anyway? You seem…. A little less bubbly than usual," George took the duster from Sakura and kept it away. Fred flipped the 'Open' sign on the glass door to 'Closed' and switched a few lights off.

"What? Me? No! Nothing wrong with me! Just that it's so boring today!" Sakura lied.

"No. You think? Look, we know when something's wrong, and we _know_ there's something wrong. Is it a test coming up in class or something?" George put his arm around Sakura's shoulder.

"Well…. Yeah. It's today. I mean, I've got Charms later, and there's a quiz. We're supposed to practice on a few spells we've been learning. Especially the more intermediate ones," Sakura lied again.

"You should have said so earlier! Well, let's start practicing then!" Fred began to take out his wand, when Sakura stopped him.

"No, it's alright. I've practiced. I don't want to over-stress myself. But thanks for the offer!" Sakura smiled. Just then, a familiar tap came on the window of the joke shop. It was Cho.

"Look what the wind blew in," Fred rolled his eyes and opened the door. "Sorry Cho. We're closed for the day," Fred pointed at the sign on the door.

"Oh, I know. I just want to see if Sakura's free. I'd like to have a chat with her," Cho looked at Sakura for an answer.

"Yeah, I'm free right now. But I've only got two hours to spare. I have something on after that," Sakura grabbed her bag and headed for the door. She turned to wave goodbye at the twins, and they both winked and gave her a thumbs-up sign, which meant good luck for her Charms test. Sakura grinned and nodded.

At a café, somewhere in London

"Tell me, Sakura. Don't you miss Cedric after all these years?" Cho asked, stirring her milkshake with her straw.

"C-Cedric? Well…. I guess yeah…. I miss him…. He was a very nice boy," Sakura tried hard not to look at Cho. She couldn't possibly tell Cho. Not now, at least.

"I miss him so much, Sakura. So much…. His smile, the way he runs his finger through his hair…." Cho rested her chin on her palm.

Sakura glanced at Cho. She was a very pretty girl, and now he face was painted with so much…. Longing for Cedric? Sakura immediately felt a pang of guilt. Her stomach churned inside out, and she felt dizzy.

"I'm sorry, Cho. I'm not feeling very well. I have to go." Sakura rushed out of the café, leaving a confused Cho behind. Sakura ran aimlessly, not knowing where to go, just as long as she was away from Cho. Then she stopped running just as suddenly as when she ran out of the café. Her breathing was uneven, and she took a few deep breaths before she managed to slow her heartbeat. She looked around to see where she was, only to find that she was outside the phone booth of the Ministry of Magic. She shrugged and went inside.

At the Ministry of Magic

"Miss Kanzaki! You are very early today! One hour before you are due, in fact. But never mind, Professor Dumbledore wishes to see you this instant," greeted a surprised Professor Flitwik. Sakura walked into the room she was shown to and closed the door behind her. She took a seat in the room which was now very familiar to her. This was where she took all her classes. Private lessons with Hogwarts teachers until the OWLS.

"Ahem," Sakura cleared her throat, startling Dumbledore as he was examining a crystal ball in the far corner of the room. "You wish to see me, sir?"

"Why, yes. You must be astonished that I requested to see you today, when you were supposed to have a Charms quiz this moment?" Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he gazed at her from his half-moon glasses. Sakura gulped, but nodded anyway. After all, she needed Dumbledore to know the truth.

"Right, then. I assume you know that Lord Voldemort has been waiting for the right moment to kill Harry, with the help of – _his faithful right-hand person_?" Dumbledore smiled as he deliberately looked Sakura in the eye as he said the last few words of his sentence.

This was it. No running away. Sakura breathed in deep, and cleared her throat. "Yes, Professor Dumbledore, sir. But, I wish to discuss this with you in a place less accessible by Voldemort and other folk. What I need to tell you sir, could endanger my life, and more importantly, the rest of the world."


End file.
